He said reports indicated that the “ceramah” (talks) of the opposition parties comprised such maligning and slander as well as boasts about their having captured several states in the last general election.

“They also use the prime ministerial transition of power as the subject of their talks, and claim that Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak) will not be appointed prime minister because he does not have the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he said at a meeting with Kedah Puteri Umno and the Taman Desa Aman election machinery in Sungai Lalang, here.

Hishammuddin said the opposition claim on the transition of power was wrong because Najib would take the oath of office as the country’s sixth prime minister tomorrow.

He said that following the resignation of Bukit Selambau state assemblyman V. Arumugam of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the constituents had learnt from their mistake of having elected someone who had run away from his responsibility towards them, thus forcing the by-election.

Hishammuddin said the success of Puteri Umno members in penetrating several strongholds of the opposition over the last few days had frightened the opposition and forced them to raise the issue of phantom voters.

“When they won in the general election and by-elections in several states, they did not claim to have won due to phantom voters,” he said.

The BN has fielded Datuk S. Ganesan of the MIC in the by-election and PKR, S. Manikumar. Thirteen independent candidates are also in the contest.